Method for treating textile fabrics and the like



Sept. 1, 1970 H. FLEISSNER 3,526,009

METHOD FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS AND THE LIKE Original Filed Aug. 25,1964 4 Sheets-Sheet J.

Jnrenlor Dr Heinz Fleissner HTTOQOE/S H. FLEISSNER Sept. 1, 1970 METHODFOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 OriginalFiled Aug. 25, 1964 Jhrenfan Dr: Heinz F Ieissner (347' Aha} HTTOQOEy H.FLEISSNER Sept. 1, 1970 METHOD FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS AND THE LIKE4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Aug. 25, 1964 Jnven/on Dr Heinz Fleissner RTTOQ Eys Sept. 1, 1970 H. FLEISSNER 3,525,009

METHOD FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS AND THE LIKE:

Original Filed Aug. 25, 1964 4 Sheets$neet l:

Jnrenfor:

Dr Heinz Fleissner Ad- 4' My ATToQnEys United States Patent US. Cl. 815215 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotating perforated sieve drum ispartially disposed in a treatment bath with a suction pump connected tothe interior thereof. Lengths of textile material are treated in thebath by feeding the material in wavy folds onto the surface of the drum.

This is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 391,994, filedAug. 25, 1964 and now Patent. No. 3,374,- 646.

The present invention relates to a method for treating great lengths oftextile fabrics, yarns, ribbons, slivers, tops or the like, especiallyin a liquid and under suction.

In the manufacture of textile fabrics of natural fibers and also ofsynthetic fibers, for example, of a cellulose solution or the like it isnecessary to subject the fabrics, yarns, threads, slivers and the liketo washing and cleanmg processes.

The conventional washing trains which are used for this purpose are verylong and expensive and also have the disadvantage that no account can betaken of the shrinking of the material.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method whichoperate more effectively and at a higher degree of efficiency than themethod previously known for the mentioned purposes by permitting as muchmaterial as possible to be properly treated and especially to be passedthrough a bath within a certain period of time and to permit thenecessary apparatus to be made of smaller dimensions and especially of ashorter length.

According to the invention, this object is attained by applying thematerial to be treated in a wavy or rippled condition upon the outersurface of a perforated suction drum, that is, of a drum the interior ofwhich is connected to a suction pump or the like, and by passing thematerial in this condition through the treating medium, preferably in abath. The waves or ripples in the material may be made of such a sizethat live to ten times the amount of material may be held on theavailable surface area of the suction drum as when the material istreated 'at a proportionate speed from one drum to the other.

The rate of flow of the treating medium through the material may inaccordance with the invention be increased substantially in proportionwith the relative decrease in speed of the suction drum, for example, byincreasing the strength of the suction and/or by increasing the size ornumber of perforations in the wall of the suction drum. The suction mayalso be increased, especial- 3,526,009 Patented Sept. 1, 1970 ICC 1ywithin the first drum, by providing additional suction nozzles at theinside of the drum or by connecting the drum to two or more suction fansor by dividing the inside of the drum into different suction zones oneof which exerts a stronger suction than the other.

For feeding the material to each suction drum and/or for squeezing thetreating liquid out of the material, suitable feeding means such asendless conveyer belts, conveying rollers or the like, but also squeezerollers may be employed. It is also possible according to the inventionto provide an additional perforated conveyer belt or the like whichmoves around and at the same speed as the suction drum and facilitatesthe removal of the material from the drum and its passage to thesubsequent squeeze rollers. A more preferred feature of the inventionconsists, however, in effecting an easy removal of the material from thesuction drum or drums by directing one or more streams of the treatingliquid upon the material and the conveying means subsequent to the drum.

The means for feeding and removing the material in the form of rollers,conveyer belts or the like may be driven at a peripheral speed equal tothe speed of the material in the stretched condition.

Another preferred feature of the invention consists in changing the sizeand effectiveness of the perforations in the wall of the suction drumduring its passage through the bath of treating liquid.

Another feature of the invention consists in considerably improving thedelivery of the textile material from the feeding mechanism to therevolving suction drum by directing at least one stream of the treatingliquid against the material and the feeding mechanism at or closelyadjacent to the point of application of the material upon the suctiondrum.

When employing a pair of feed rollers or a conveyer belt, at least onestream of the treating liquid should be directed at least against one ofthe feed rollers or against the conveyer belt and also against thetextile material in such a manner that the stream or streams of liquidwill flow in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of thefeed roller or of the movement of the conveyer belt.

In a similar manner it is possible to loosen and remove the textilematerial from the suction drum or other suitable conveying means bydirecting at least one stream of the treating liquid against the pointor removal. This facilitates the removal considerably and also effectsthe removal without any harm to the material.

For producing the stream or streams of treating liquid it is possible toemploy the liquid which has been sucked out of the inside of theperforated drum and the suction pump which is used for this purpose. Forthis purpose, the invention further provides one or more channels forconducting the drawn-out liquid at least partly to the pair of feedrollers or to the feeding and delivery mechanisms. The stream oftreating liquid which is directed from above upon the textile materialmay be produced by passing the liquid through a pipe which is connectedto the pump and is located above the point of application or removal ofthe material on the suction drum, and is provided at its lower side withoutlet holes or an outlet slot.

It is still more important, however, to direct at least one stream oftreating liquid from below against the feeding mechanism and especiallyagainst the lower feed roller, and in a direction opposite to thedirection of rotation of the lower feed roller so as to prevent thedanger that the material might stick to the lower feed roller. Such astream of the treating liquid may according to the invention be producedby providing at least one perforated guide plate underneath the suctiondrum but above the channel for returning the liquid which has beensucked out of the drum to the bath. This perforated guide plate togetherwith one or more additional parts forms a nozzle underneath the point ofapplication of the textile material on the drum and possibly alsounderneath the point of removal of the material from the drum. Thisperforated guide plate has the further advantage that it only permits asubstantially radial flow of liquid underneath the suction drum and thatit prevents the bath from being stirred up by the liquid flowing backinto the bath. It therefore prevents the returning liquid from producingany uncontrolled currents or eddies in the bath which might possiblyloosen the textile material from the suction drum.

In connection with the means as last described, it is another feature ofthe invention to provide suitable means for varying the size of theperforations in the guide plate, for example, by the arrangement of asimilar second guide plate which is adjustable relative to the firstguide plate and permits the holes in the latter to be more or lesscovered up.

According to another feature of the invention, the mentioned guide platemay also be employed for directing a stream of treating liquid towardthe points of application and removal of the textile material on thesuction drum and to the feeding and removal or delivery mechanism. Thismay be carried out by providing at least one additional guide platewhich preferably extends radially to the suction drum at the level ofthe liquid return channel. For varying the quantity of liquid which isto be supplied to the lower feed roller, this additional guide plate maybe adjustable, for example, by being pivotably mounted or by beingslidable in the conveying direction.

For applying the textile material upon the outer surface of the drum ina wavy or rippled condition, the invention further provides that insteadof or in addition to a pair of rotating feed rollers which are mountedin a fixed position other suitable means may be provided, for example, apair of gripping members which carries out reciprocating movements inthe direction toward the drum surface or a conveyer belt on which thetextile material is deposited in the rippled condition and whichdelivers it in this condition to the drum surface. In place of suchfeeding means it would also be possible to employ reciprocating rollerswhich draw ofi or feed the material at a uniform rate of speed but aregiven a positive or negative acceleration by a reciprocating movement.If the textile material runs off a pair of feed rollers continuously, itmay also be pressed against the wall of the suction drum by areciprocating applicating rod or surface which may be employed in placeof or in addition to one or more streams of treating liquid. In place ofsuch a reciprocating element it is also possible to employ a rotatingstarshaped member or the like on which the material to be treated isdeposited continuously and which curls the material in the desired wavesor ripples and applies the rippled material upon the surface of thesuction drum.

If the feeding mechanism according to the invention comprises a pair ofreciprocating gripping members, the material, for example, a web offabric, is passed downwardly to these gripping members, for example, bya pair of feed rollers, and it is then gripped by them and moved towardthe perforated drum. At the end of this feeding stroke the grippingmembers are opened so as to release the material and are then moved backto their original position without engaging with the material. In thisposition they again grip the material and move it up to the drum. Asalready indicated, it is also possible to employ a pair of feed rollersin place of such gripping members and to move them back and fourthtoward the drum. The speed of rotation as well as the size and speed ofthe reciprocating movements of these feed rollers may be adjusted bysuitable means in relation to the peripheral speed of the suction drum.

The suction drum does not have to be cylindrical but it may also bestar-shaped or be provided with suitable receiving compartments or ribsaround its periphery. The textile material will also be held on such amodified drum by the suction which is exerted upon the inside of thedrum.

The aforementioned as well as additional features and advantages of thepresent invention will become more clearly apparent from the followingdetailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to theaccompanying diagrammatic drawings in which- FIG. 1 shows a longitudinalsection of an apparatus according to the invention, in which the feedingmechanism comprises a pair of gripping members;

FIG. 2 shows a similar view of a modification of the invention, in whichthe feeding mechanism comprises a conveyor belt and a reciprocatingslide member;

FIG. 3 shows a similar view of another modification of the invention, inwhich the feeding mechanism comprises a pair of reciprocating rollers;

FIG. 4 shows a similar view of another modification of the invention, inwhich the feeding mechanism comprises a pair of feed rollers and areciprocating applicator member;

FIG. 5 shows a similar view of a further modification of the invention,in which the feeding mechanism comprises a pair of feed rollers and astar-shaped applicator;

FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section of a further modification of theinvention with two successive baths and a pair of feed rollers in frontof each suction drum and with means for conducting a part of thetreating liquid toward these feed rollers and toward the textilematerial at the point of its application to the drum; while FIG. 7 showsa top view of the apparatus according to FIG. 6.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the treatment of the textile material 6is carried out by passing it in a radially wavy or rippled condition ona rotating perforated suction drum 9 through a bath 10.

According to the embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 1, thetextile material 6 is fed toward the drum 9 by means of a pair of feedrollers 8. A pair of gripping members 1 which carry out reciprocatingmovements in accordance with the double-arrow 13 lays the material in aradially Wavy or rippled condition upon the outer surface of theperforated drum the inside of Which is connected to a suitable suctionpump. The upper part of drum 9 which is not covered by the material 6 iscovered at the inside by a cover plate 14.

The feed rollers 8 may either be freely rotatable and be driven by themovement of the material in accordance with the downward movement of thegripping members 1 or they may be positively and continuously driven bysuitable driving means, not shown.

Due to the suction in the perforated drum 9, the material is held on thedrum and passed on the latter through the bath 10. Upon leaving thebath, the material is gripped by a pair of rollers 12 and deposited, forexample, upon an endless conveyor belt, not shown. The rollers 12 may,however, also act at the same time as squeeze rollers or the materialmay be passed to a separate pair of squeeze rollers for squeezing outthe excess liquid from the materia Another possibility of feeding thematerial in accordance with the invention to the perforated suction drum9 is illustrated in FIG. 2. A pair of feed rollers 6 and 8 deposit thematerial 6 in Wavy conditions upon an endless conveyor belt 2 theforward turning point of which is loacted adjacent the perforated drum 9and feeds the wavy material to the intake side of the drum. For applyingthe material more densely upon the drum 9', the individual waves orripples of the material are pushed more closely together by a slidemember 11 which carries out reciprocating movements in the direction asshown by the double-arrow. The surface of the drum is thereby betterutilized. At this point it should once more be remarked that theindividual operating elements of any of the embodiments of the inventionas illustrated in the drawings may also be substituted for the elementsin other embodiments which are intended to achieve the same purpose ormay be applied therein in addition to or in com bination with suchelements. Thus, for example, the slide member 11 as shown in FIG. 2 mayalso be installed in the apparatus according to FIG. 1 or in anappropriate manner in any of the other apparatus as hereafter described.

FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus according to the in vention which isprovided with a pair of feed rollers 3 which may be rotated continuouslybut are also reciprocated in the direction of the arrow 15. As thoserollers 3 are moving away from the drum 9, they roll back along the webof material in the direction toward the pair of rollers 8. When theserollers 3 are moving toward the perforated drum, they continue to rotateat the same speed and thereby push the material forwardly so as to forma wave or ripple which is then caught by the suction at the intake sideof the drum. Also in this case, a slide member 11 as shown in FIG. 2could be additionally provided for applying the individual waves moredensely upon the drum surface.

Instead of a single perforated drum as shown in the drawings, it is, ofcourse, also possible to pass the material successively over severalsuch drums either in the same or different baths.

A further feeding mechanism according to the invention which is of avery simple structure is illustrated in FIG. 4. The material 6 to betreated is fed continuously downward by a pair of driven feed rollers 8and it is then pressed against the perforated suction drum 9 by at leastone rod or board 4 or the like which preferably has rounded edges and ismoved back and forth in such a rhythm that the material is provided withradial waves or ripples of a predetermined size.

FIG. 5 illustrates another very suitable mechanism for applying thematerial in a wavy condition upon a suction drum. The rollers 8 conveythe material in the direction toward the star-shaped applicator 5 whichrotates continuously in the direction as shown by the arrow. Thematerial which is deposited upon the arms of the applicator 5 is therebyprovided with the desired ripples which are applied by the edges 17 uponthe suction drum 9 and are held thereon by the suction.

For facilitating the removal of the material from the suction drum, theapparatus according to FIG. 5 is further provided with a perforatedconveyor belt 18 which also moves in the direction of rotation of drum 9as shown by the arrow. At the outlet side of the suction drum 9 thisperforated belt 18 disengages from the outer surface of the drumtogether with the rippled material and then runs with the latter ot apair of rollers 19 and 20 which may also serve as pressure or squeezerollers.

FIGS. 6 and 7 finally show an especially advantageous apparatus whichhandles the material very carefully. The pair of feed rollers 8 of thisapparatus is mounted closely adjacent to the suction drum 9 near theintake point thereof and is driven at a considerably higher speed thanthe drum 9.

The material is thereby pushed together so as to form radial wavy foldsor ripples between the rollers 8 and the suction drum 9 and due to thesuction this wavy material is then held in this position on the suctiondrum. Because of the relatively small diameter of the rollers 8 andtheir considerably higher feeding speed than that of drum 9, thematerial tends to adhere especially to the lower roller 8 and therebytends to disengage from the suction drum. Such adhering of the materialto the lower roller 8 is prevented according to the invention in a verysimple manner by directing at least one stream of the treating liquidagainst the lower roller 8 and the material at the point of applicationthereof, and against the direction of rotation of the roller. It is alsoadvisable to supply the treating liquid also to the upper roller 8 sincethis permits a denser arrangement of ripples on the suction drum 9.

In the apparatus according to FIGS. 6 and 7, a suction channel 21 whichis connected to a pump 22 is provided at one side of drum 9 for drawingthe liquid from the inside of the drum and for passing it back into thebath through channels 23 and 24. Channel 23 is located above the intakepoint of the drum. The liquid then passes through a slot 25 in the pipe23 and flows over the upper roller 8.

At the same time, the liquid falling upon the material pushes theindividual Wavy folds more closely together. Underneath the suction drum9 but above the channel 24 a preferred guide plate 26 is mounted in thebath. This guide plate 26 is bent over at both sides toward theconveying mechanism and, together with additional plates, forms nozzles27 and 28 through which a stream of treating liquid is sprayed againstthe lower roller 8 and against the conveyer belt 29. The strength ofthis stream depends upon the amount of liquid circulated and the size ofthe perforations in the guide plate 26. This guide plate serves at thesame time for quieting the bath underneath the suction drum. Due to theguide plate 26, the axial flow of the liquid occurs only in the lowerpart of the bath and not in the part above the guide plate. It alsoavoids the danger that, due to the liquid flowing back into the baththrough the channel 24 the wavy material which is held on the suctiondrum might be flushed off the latter. By varying the size of theperforations in the guide plate it is also possible to vary the amountof liquid flowing through the nozzles in an inverse relation to theamount passing through the perforations. The size of the perforationsmay be varied in a simple manner by the provision of a similar secondguide plate which is adjustable relative to the first guide plate. Bythe adjustment of this second guide plate the perforations in the twoplates through which the liquid flows are shifted relative to each otherand are partly covered up thereby. For removing the material morecarefully from the suction drum, the apparatus according to FIGS. 6 and7 is also porvided with nozzles for directing the liquid also againstthe delivery mechanism and the material at the outlet point of theapparatus.

The supply of liquid to the delivery mechanism, that is, to the conveyerbelt 29 may be carried out through the nozzle 28 and/or through anadditional pipe 23 which is mounted above the outlet point of thesuction drum.

For regulating the quantity of liquid which is required between thefeeding and delivery mechanisms, a further guide plate 30 may beprovided which preferably extends radially to the suction drum 9 at thelevel of the channel for returning the liquid to the bath. Such a guideplate 30 may be seen in the second washing apparatus which is onlypartly shown at the right side of FIGS. 6 and 7. By adjusting, swivelingor sliding this guide plate 30, it is possible to conduct the liquidcoming from channel 24 either more strongly to the feeding mechanism orto the delivery mechanism.

Between the two belts a pair of squeeze rollers 31 is provided which areadjustable in a conventonal manner so as to vary their pressure upon thematerial.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with referenceto the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood thatit is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but iscapable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. A method of treating textile materials which comprises introducingthe material to be treated in wavy drawing the treatment liquid throughthe material being treated, conveying the folded material on said sievedrum means through the treatment liquid and recovering the treatedproduct.

2. The method of claim '1 wherein the folds extend substantiallyradially from the surface of the sieve drum means.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the material to be treated is conveyedto the surface of the sieve drum means at a speed several times fasterthan the peripheral speed of the drum.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein said textile material is fedtoward said suction drum by feed rollers rotating at a rate of speedseveral times as high as the peripheral speed of said drum.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said speed is about 5 to times fasterthan the peripheral speed of the drum.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the rate of flow of saidliquid through said textile material to the inside of said drum isincreased substantially in proportion with the decrease in speed of saiddrum relative to the feeding speed.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for feeding thematerial to the drum and for withdrawing it from the drum are driven ata rate of speed corresponding to the speed of the textile material inthe stretched condition.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one stream of thetreatment liquid is directed upon said textile material and the feedingmeans from a point below the level of the treatment liquid and closelyadjacent to the point of application of said material upon said drum.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said feeding means comprises apair of feed rollers and at least one stream of said liquid is directedupon the lower feed roller and said textile material from a point belowthe level of the treatment liquid.

10. A method of treating textile materials which comprises introducingthe material to be treated in wavy folds onto the surface of at leastone rotating perforated sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft,said material being folded to its wavy condition and applied in saidcondition upon said sieve drum means by feed rollers, said sieve drummeans being partially disposed in a treatment liquid, said foldedmaterial being introduced into the surface of said sieve drum at aboutthe point where the material being treated enters the treatment liquid,holding the folded material to the sieve drum means by said suctiondraft, thereby drawing the treatment liquid through the material beingtreated, conveying the folded material in said sieve drum means throughthe treatment liquid, wherein at least one stream of said liquid isdirected upon said feeder rollers'in a direction opposite to theirdirection of rotation from a point below the level of the treatmentliquid and recovering the treated product. i

11. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one stream of said liquid isdirected upon said feed rollers and the material to be treated from apoint above the level of the treatment liquid.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the liquid falls upon the materialfolded on the surface of the sieve drum means thus pushing theindividual folds more closely together. i

13. The method of claim 10 wherein after the material is introduced inwavy folds onto the surface of the perforated sieve drum means theindividual folds are pushed more closely together by'reciprocatingmovements imparted to the material.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the reciprocating movements aredirected toward the folds in a direction substantially tangential to apoint on the surface of the sieve drum means.

- 15. A method of treating textile materials which comprises introducingthe material to be treated in wavy folds onto the surface of at leastone rotating perforated sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft,said folds being produced and applied to said surface by a cross-shapedmember rotating continuously in the opposite direction of rotation assaid sieve drum, said sieve drum means being partially disposed in atreatment liquid, said folded material being introduced onto the surfaceof said sieve drum at about the point where the material being treatedenters the treatment liquid, holding the folded material to the sievedrum means by said suction draft, thereby drawing the treatment liquidthrough the material being treated, conveying the folded material onsaid sieve drum means through the treatment liquid and recovering thetreated product.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1917 Payet 68-177 X WILLIAM I.PRICE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 68177

